Back To School 2019 Insights

Last year, Google stated that Google’s search engine inquiries of 10% during the Back To School (BTS) season, but when is BTS season? BTS shoppers actually start researching 1 to 3 months in advance for the best brands, prices, quality and etc.

Looking at the numbers, only 5% of the 58% of BTS shoppers surveyed haven’t bought items during the 1-3 months research period. It clearly shows how important early research and shopping is for a majority of parents.

“In MENA, search queries are rising 15% year-on-year with searches on mobile growing 20X faster than those on desktop,” stated Google in last year’s report.

With so many options to choose from, it’s important to know where consumer flock for their annual BTS shopping. According to this year’s BTS report, Google also wrote “[o]ut of those who do their research, 89% search on different online channels (80% use Google Search as their primary source of information). Following their research, 72% of BTS shoppers will do some of their shopping online, while 26% shop exclusively online.”

Brands will need to promote quality and price over discounts and brand names. Just like in our report last year, it seems like BTS shoppers are continuing their focus on quality and price over other factors when shopping during the BTS season. Especially when 70% of BTS shoppers are undecided on which brands to buy when they research.

Back To School Marketing Trends 2019

Edutainment Video Content Continues To Rule Pre-School Season

According to Google, “… two out of three undecided shoppers say a good video ad could influence a purchase decision. Undecided shoppers often look for inspiration on YouTube, seeking reviews and inspiration from other families.”

Edutainment, or Educational Entertainment content, and reviews/hauls are great content pillars to base your next content calendar or campaign on as parents continue to look towards other people for shopping advice. Brands can leverage this by creating their own content or partnering with a parental influencer.

These types of content can allow your brand to connect on a more personal level with your consumers, making it an important element in today’s attention-seeking world.

Utilize Offline And Online Markets

While the number of people who shop online continues to grow, marketers must not forget that a large chunk of the population still prefers to go to physical stores. Whether they use it as a showroom, where they check out the merchandise but leave and buy it online, or actually buy from your store is up to your placement in-store.

Ensure your product is being placed in the best places for people to see it; make sure it’s eye-level, captivating and check its location according to the items around it. If items around it are distracting or do not correlate with your product’s function, find ways to optimize its location better.

It gets more complicated online, depending on whether you sell on your own e-commerce website or an online retailer’s.

Ensure description is optimized for SEM, and add relevant tags if possible

High-res images with alt text and tags if possible

Provide competitive pricing if possible

Be The Change, Be Generous and Give Back

The BTS season isn’t just about ending the summer and starting the new school year, it’s a time of change and transition for many.

It comes with the “supposed” change into cooler weather, a change in scenery and encourage self-change and improvement. This gives brands that think of the BTS season as the season of transition and change a wider playing field.

The “going back to school” season can also mean learning a new instrument, returning to dreams of a new room aesthetic, and etc.

Savvy brands can do this, but can also add generosity to the list. During this time, brands can also encourage consumers or themselves to provide to the less fortunate through donations, CSR campaigns and more to show consumers that their softer side.